Mazisi Kunene
South African| ethnicity = Zulu| occupation = poet, national historian and diplomat| language = English and Zulu| period = Contemporary| death_date = 11 August 2006| death_place = Durbin South Africa| notable works = Emperor Shaka the Great| influences = Oral tradition}} 'Mazisi Raymond Fakazi Mngoni Kunene 'Mazisi Kunene 1930-2006, Web, Oct. 28, 2012. (12 May 1930 – 11 August 2006) was a South African poet best known for his epic poem Emperor Shaka the Great. While in exile from South Africa's apartheid regime, Kunene was an active supporter and organizer of the anti-apartheid movement in Europe and Africa. He would later teach at UCLA and become South Africa's poet laureate. Life Youth Kunene was born in Durban, in the modern province of KwaZulu-Natal. From very early he began writing poetry and short stories in Zulu, and by age eleven he was being published in local papers. He later undertook a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Natal in Zulu and history and later a Master of Arts in Zulu Poetry. His Master's thesis was titled An Analytical Survey of Zulu Poetry, Both Traditional and Modern. There he criticized the changing nature of Zulu literature, and its emulation of the Western tradition. He won a Bantu Literary Competition in 1956 and left for London to study at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London in 1959. Career Kunene opposed the apartheid government as the head of the African United Front. Fleeing into exile from the country in 1959, he helped push for the anti-apartheid movement in Britain between 1959-1968. Kunene was closely affiliated with the African National Congress, quickly becoming their main representative in Europe and the United States in 1962. He would later become the director of fiance for the ANC in 1972. He became a Professor of African literature at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1975 after teaching in a number of universities as a cultural advisor for UNESCO. He remained at UCLA for nearly two decades, retiring in 1992.Mazisi Kunene, 76, South African Poet Laureate New York Times, 22 September 2006 Kunene wrote and published poetry from very early in his life. His works were written originally in Zulu and then translated into English. In 1966, his works were banned by the Apartheid government of South Africa. In 1970, Kunene published Zulu Poems,''an anthology of poems ranging from "moral reflection to political commentary." Late life Kunene returned to South Africa in 1992 where he taught at the University of Natal until his retirement. He died 11 August 2006 in Durban after a lengthy bout of cancer.South African Broadcasting Corporation, "African poet professor dies at age 76" 12 August 2006 He was survived by his wife and four children. He is buried in Amahlongwa Cemetery, iLembe District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal.Mazisi Kunene, Find a Grave. Web, Oct. 28, 2014. Writing In ''Emperor Shaka the Great, published in English in 1979, Kunene tells the story of the rise of the Zulu under Shaka. World Literature Today contributor Christopher Larson described it as "a monumental undertaking and achievement by any standards." World Literature Today, summer 1983, cited in "Mazisi Kunene" Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2006. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center, Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2006. This extremely nationalistic work charted the growth of the Zulu nation under Shaka, as he reforms the military and the nation and conquers many of the tribes around Zululand. Anthem of the Decades:A Zulu Epic published in English in 1981 tells the Zulu legend of how death came to mankind. In 1982, Kunene published a second collection of poems titled The Ancestors and the Sacred Mountain: Poems containing 100 of his poems. This collection had a particular emphasis on socio-political topics. Recognition UNESCO named Kunene the Poet Laureate of Africa in 1993. In 2005 he became the first Poet Laureate of South Africa. Publications Poetry * Zulu Poems. New York, Africana Publishing Corporation, 1970 * Anthem of the Decades: A Zulu epic dedicated to the women of Africa. London, Heinemann, 1981 * The Ancestors and the Sacred Mountain: Poems. London, Heinemann, 1982. * Isibusiso Sikamhawu. Via Afrika, 1994. * Indida Yamancasakazi. 1995. * Amalokotho Kanomkhubulwane. 1996. * Umzwilili wama-Afrika. Kagiso, 1996. * Igudu lika Somcabeko. Van Schaik, 1997. * Echoes from the Mountain: New and selected poems. Malthouse Press, 2007 Translated * Emperor Shaka the Great: A Zulu epic. London, Heinemann, 1979. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Poetry International..Mazisi Kunene, Poetry International, Web, Oct. 28, 2012. See also * List of South African poets References External links ;Poems * Mazisi Kunene (South Africa, 1930-2006) at Poetry International (7 poems) ;About * Mazisi Kunene 1930-2006 at the Poetry Foundation *Mazisi Kunene obituary, The Guardian. *Mazisi Kunene at Find a Grave *Mazisi Kunene in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Category:1930 births Category:2006 deaths Category:University of Natal alumni Category:South African poets Category:University of California, Los Angeles faculty Category:Zulu people Category:People from Durban Category:Cancer deaths in South Africa Category:20th-century poets Category:Poets Category:Epic poets Category:African poets writing in English Category:Poets Laureate of South Africa